University of Wisconsin Madison Atmospheric Pressure Questions

Part A:

Watch the video below and answer questions:

Atmospheric Pressure (Links to an external site.)

Questions:

1. a) Is air a pure substance or mixture? (0.5 pt)

b) List the top three major components of air and their respective percent composition. (1 pt)

2. a) What is air pressure in pounds per square inch (psi) at sea level? (0.5 pt)

b) How much force in pounds will be exerted by air on a typical office desk top that measures 45 in x 24 in? show work and proper units for full credit ( 2 pt)

3. How does air pressure change with altitude? Why? (2 pt)

4. Breathing involves changing pressure inside our lungs,

a) During inhalation, fresh air moves into lungs, how does it work? (2 pt)

b) During exhalation, waste air moves out of lungs, how does it work? (2 pt)

Part B

Watch the video below, record observations and answer questions:

Egg in a Bottle (Links to an external site.)

Observations:

1. In the video, Ryan and Adam first showed us how to make an egg fall into a bottle flask with an opening smaller than the egg. Briefly describe the step(s) they took to achieve that. (Do not need to explain why it happened.) (2 pt)

2. Then Ryan and Adam ejected the egg from the flask. Briefly describe your observation, or the step(s) they took to make that happen. (do not need to explain why it happed) (2 pt)

Questions:

1. Assume Ryan and Adam performed this experiment at a location near sea level. What was the air pressure inside the bottle initially before they threw the burning paper strip into the bottle? (1 pt)

2. What gas component in the air was consumed during burning of the paper strip? What are some of the products made by burning the paper strip? (1 pt)

3. Right when the egg began falling into the flask, was the air pressure inside the flask greater than, equal to, or smaller than atmospheric pressure? (1 pt)

4. After the egg fell to the bottom of the flask, what was the air pressure iniside the flask? (1 pt)

5. Why would the egg pop out of the flask when they heated the flask? (2 pt)